New To TV: Killing Eve

BBC America’s newest series Killing Eve follows an MI5 security officer and a talented hitwoman for hire when their paths cross and the chase begins…

Based on the Codename Villanelle novellas by Luke Jennings, BBCA’s Killing Eve centers on two women; Eve (Oh) is a bored, whip-smart, pay-grade MI5 security officer whose desk-bound job doesn’t fulfil her fantasies of being a spy. Villanelle (Comer) is a mercurial, talented killer who clings to the luxuries her violent job affords her. Killing Eve topples the typical spy-action thriller as these two fiercely intelligent women, equally obsessed with each other, go head to head in an epic game of cat and mouse.

BBCA President Sarah Barnett says, “In Killing Eve, a genius bunch of women behind and in front of the camera transcend the predictable with this funny and heart-stopping twisted cat and mouse thriller. From creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge — with remarkable performances from Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer — Killing Eve stands out in a sea of scripted stories as refreshingly entertaining and great fun.”

CHARACTERS:

Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) – Eve always dreamed that she’d be working as a spy in a secret assassin-hunting department for MI5, but really she is just a desk jockey tasked with assigning protection to foreign people of interest during their trips to London. Always fascinated by women in crime, she excelled in her degree in criminal psychology. Underneath her air of “a woman content with her lot in life” is a woman looking for trouble. To combat her boredom, Eve has secretly been tracking a new female assassin. Eve wants it all, the action, the blood, the rule breaking and the femme-fatales. But she’s beginning to realise her secret passion for the gloriously awful may be nothing but a fantasy. Until one day, her fantasy crosses her path.
Villanelle (Jodie Comer) – Villanelle possesses a cold brutality under her innocent-looking exterior. With an appetite for killing groaning in her gut, she is a living, breathing, shopping, killing psychopath. Contentedly living outside any human moral code, Villanelle kills with flare, recklessness and absolutely no conscience. She has an impulsive side that lets her down. Her ego requires her to feel invincible and essential, and then there’s a certain kind of woman… early 40s, dark full-bodied hair, no make-up, ill-fitting clothes, a quiet kindness. Any or all of these things could tip her into orchestrating her own downfall.
Niko Polastri (Owen McDonnell) – Eve’s husband Niko is strong, moral and appreciates the simple things in life. He was born in England to Polish immigrant parents and grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. He has an aversion to violence, and can’t understand Eve’s fascination with darkness and criminality. He’s smart, wildly compassionate and though he perhaps can’t admit it to himself, prefers his wife in a boring desk job than in close proximity to danger.
Konstantin (Kim Bodnia) – Konstantin is not afraid of anything or anyone. He has seen more broken bones and shattered spirits in his life than anyone would dare to imagine. He recruits and runs assassins, but none more complex and demanding than Villanelle. He understands that her ego is a beast, and he is constantly walking the tightrope of being able to manage it. He doesn’t always know who she is going to kill, he just tells her she has to.
Bill Pargrave (David Haig) – He and Eve have worked together for over ten years – they have a great relationship. Bill humors Eve’s conspiracies, teases her and also dismisses them. She has been right once or twice, but when she is, there is normally a whole load of bureaucratic red tape bullshit to have to sort through that, these days, he’d rather not have to deal with. He is solid, but tired. When Eve proposes he join her in a secret assassin tracking unit with MI6, he discovers he may have some life left in him yet.
Elena Felton (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) – A working class girl who studied computer studies at Sheffield, Elena could easily be mistaken for a career office worker for MI5, but in truth, she is strategically climbing the ladder until she can move sideways and become a spy. She knows she’d be brilliant at it and is moved by Eve’s faith in her. She hasn’t had many champions in her life.
Carolyn Martens (Fiona Shaw) – Charismatic, erudite, incredibly well-read and irreverent, Carolyn is a principled yet ruthless leader in her field. As a young agent on the ground in Moscow in the 80s, she cultivated one of MI6’s most valuable assets and has since saved the world at least three times.
Kenny (Sean Delaney) – Kenny is a bonafide computer whiz and gamer, low on social skills but brilliant at what he does. He’d be at the top of his game if it weren’t for his impossible eccentricities. Desperate for the attention of the opposite sex but existing mainly online, he rarely gets a chance to socialize. The thought of actually dating a real woman is terrifying, better to get the take-out and live with his mom. Then he meets Elena, falls in love instantly and completely freaks out.

The series is produced by Sid Gentle Films Ltd. for BBC AMERICA with Waller-Bridge serving as lead writer, showrunner and executive producer and written by Phoebe Waller Bridge (Fleabag). Sally Woodward Gentle and Lee Morris are executive producers, with Colin Wratten serving as producer and Sandra Oh serving as associate producer.

Starring alongside Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy) and Jodie Comer (The White Princess) are Fiona Shaw (Harry Potter), Kirby Howell-Baptiste (Downward Dog), Kim Bodnia (The Bridge), David Haig (Penny Dreadful), Sean Delaney, and Owen McDonnell (My Mother and Other Strangers).